Med chem

ISSN: 2161-0444 Med chem, an open access journal Volume 5(2): 081-089 (2015) - 85

Citation: Nikalje AP (2015) Nanotechnology and its Applications in Medicine. Med chem 5: 081-089. doi:10.4172/2161-0444.1000247

due to presence of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic environments

[12]. Tissue damage by drug can be prevented with drug delivery, by

regulated drug release. With drug delivery systems larger clearance

of drug from body can be reduced by altering the pharmacokinetics

of the drug. Potential nano drugs will work by very specic and well-

understood mechanisms; one of the major impacts of nanotechnology

and nanoscience will be in leading development of completely new

drugs with more useful behavior and less side eects.

usnano particles are promising tools for the advancement ofdrug

delivery, asdiagnostic sensors andbio imaging. e bio-distribution of

these nanoparticles is still imperfect due to the complex host's reactions

to nano- and micro sized materials and the diculty in targeting

specic organs in the body. Eorts are made to optimize and better

understand the potential and limitations of nano particulate systems.

In the excretory system study of mice dendrimers are encapsulated

for drug deliver of positively-charged gold nano particles, which were

found to enter the kidneys while negatively-charged gold nanoparticles

remained in the important organs like spleen and liver. e positive

surface charge of the nanoparticle decreases the rate of opsonization

of nanoparticles in the liver, thus aecting the excretory pathway. Due

to small size of 5nm, nano particles can get stored in the peripheral

tissues, and therefore can get collected in the body over time. us

nano particles can be used successfully and eciently for targeting and

distribution, further research can be done on nano toxicity so that its

medical uses can be increased and improved [13].

e applications of nano particles in drug delivery

Abraxane, is albumin bound paclitaxel, a nano particle used

for treatment of breast cancer and non-small- cell lung cancer

(NSCLC). Nano particles are used to deliver the drug with enhanced

eectiveness for treatment for head and neck cancer, in mice model

study ,which was carried out at fromRice University and University

of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. e reported treatment uses

Cremophor ELwhich allows thehydrophobicpaclitaxel to be delivered

intravenously. When the toxic Cremophor is replaced with carbon

nano particles its side eects diminished and drug targeting was much

improved and needs a lower dose of the toxic paclitaxel [14].

Nano particle chain was used to deliverthe drug doxorubicin to

breast cancer cells in a mice study at Case Western Reserve University.

e scientists prepared a 100 nm long nano particle chain by chemically

linking three magnetic,iron-oxidenano spheres, to one doxorubicin-

loaded liposome. Aer penetration of the nano chains inside the

tumor magnetic nanoparticles were made to vibrate by generating,

radiofrequency eld which resulted in the rupture of the liposome,

thereby dispersing the drug in its free form throughout the tumor.

Tumor growth was halted more eectively by nanotechnology than the

standard treatment with doxorubicin and is less harmful to healthy cells

as very less doses of doxorubicin were used [15,16].

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) nano particles carrying payload

of antibioticsat its core were used to target bacterial infection more

precisely inside the body, as reported by scientists of MIT. e nano

delivery of particles, containing a sub-layer ofpH sensitive chains of

theamino acidhistidine, is used to destroy bacteria that have developed

resistance to antibiotics because of the targeted high dose and prolonged

release of the drug. Nanotechnology can be eciently used to treat

various infectious diseases [17,18].

Researchers in the Harvard UniversityWyss Institute have used

the biomimeticstrategy in a mouse model .Drug coated nano particles

were used to dissolve blood clots by selectively binding to the narrowed

regions in the blood vessels as theplateletsdo [19]. Biodegradable nano

particle aggregates were coated withtissue plasminogen activator, tPA,

were injectedintravenously which bind and degrade the blood clots.

Due to shear stresses in the vessel narrowing region dissociation of the

aggregates occurs and releases the tPA-coated nano particles. e nano

therapeutics can be applied greatly to reduce the bleeding, commonly

found in standardthrombosis treatment.

e researchers in the University of Kentucky have created

X-shapedRNAnano particles, which can carr y four functional modules.

ese chemically and thermodynamically stable RNA molecules are

able of remaining intact in the mouse body for more than 8 hours and to

resist degradation byRNAsin the blood stream. ese X-shaped RNA

can be eectively performing therapeutic and diagnostic functions.

ey regulate gene expression and cellular function, and are capable of

binding to cancer cells with precision, due to its design [20,21].

Minicell nano particle are used in early phase clinical trial for

drug delivery for treatment of patients with advanced and untreatable

cancer. e minicells are built from the membranes of mutant bacteria

and were loaded withpaclitaxeland coated withcetuximab, antibodies

and used for treatment of a variety of cancers. e tumor cells engulf

the minicells. Once inside the tumor, the anti-cancer drug destroys the

tumor cells. e larger size of minicells plays a better prole in side-

eects. e minicell drug delivery system uses lower dose of drug and

has less side-eects can be used to treat a number of dierent cancers

with dierent anti-cancer drugs [22,23].

Nano sponges are important tools [24] in drug delivery, due to

their small size and porous nature they can bind poorly-soluble drugs

within their matrix and improve their bioavailability. ey can be made

to carry drugs to specic sites, thus help to prevent drug and protein

degradation and can prolong drug release in a controlled manner.

Proteins and Peptide Delivery

Protein and peptides are macromolecules and are called

biopharmaceuticals. ese have been identied for treatment of

various diseases and disorders as they exert multiple biological actions

in human body. Nano materials like nano particles and dendrimers

are called as nano biopharmaceuticals , are used for targeted and/or

controlled delivery.

Applications

Nano particles were found useful in delivering the myelin antigens,

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